Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to ensure that the National House Building Council guarantee for new builds is fit for purpose; and what assessment he has made of the potential merits of ensuring that all new builds are approved and signed off by local authority officers; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
It is the responsibility of the Financial Conduct Authority to regulate new build warranties and protect consumers. If a consumer is unhappy with the warranty provider’s action, they can contact the Financial Ombudsman Services and raise a complaint for free.
The Building Safety Regulator will be responsible for oversight of the competence and performance of building control professionals and the building control bodies in which they work, taking a wider view of the professionalism and culture that needs to support building safety in all classes of work, not just in-scope buildings. To do this, we are introducing a system of oversight of the performance of building control bodies (Local Authorities and Approved Inspectors), and a system of individual registration based on competence and adherence to a code of conduct, all overseen by the Building Safety Regulator.
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to bring forward legislative proposals to protect leaseholders from unreasonable charges when they seek to extend the lease on their property; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
The Government is committed to promoting fairness and transparency for homeowners and ensuring that consumers are protected from abuse and poor service. We are taking forward a comprehensive programme of reform to end unfair practices in the leasehold market.
Through our reforms, the length of a statutory lease extension will increase to 990 years, from 90 years (for flats) and 50 years (for houses). Leaseholders will be able to extend their lease with zero ground rent on payment of a premium. Leaseholders will also be able to voluntarily agree to a restriction on future development of their property to avoid paying ‘development value’.
The Law Commission’s report on enfranchisement includes recommendations relating to lease extensions, including payment of costs incurred by this process and the terms of the new lease. We will bring forward a response to these and the other remaining Law Commission recommendations in due course.
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what statutory guidance has been provided to Local Planning Authorities on seeking water companies’ advice on risks to water resources from proposed major housing developments; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
Water companies are already statutory consultees on local plans under The Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012. Water supply and quality are considerations in strategic environmental assessment and sustainability appraisal. Sustainability appraisal objectives could include preventing deterioration of current water body status, and seeking opportunities to improve water bodies. The National Planning Policy Framework sets out that local planning policies and decisions should prevent new or existing development from contributing to unacceptable levels of water pollution. Development should wherever possible help to improve local environmental conditions such as water quality. The Framework is supported by our on-line planning guidance, revised in July last year, available on GOV.UK. This sets out how planning can ensure water quality and the delivery of adequate water and wastewater infrastructure. The guidance explains how development plans can steer potentially polluting development away from the most sensitive areas, particularly those in the vicinity of drinking water supplies.
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with housing associations to ensure that, where an ESW1 form is required by law, private owners in buildings partly owned or managed by housing associations are issued with the required ESW1 form in a timely manner to ensure that the sale of their property is not unnecessarily delayed; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The External Wall System process (EWS1) was designed by industry to assist with valuation of high-rise residential buildings where cladding may be a concern. Its use is determined by the policies of mortgage lenders. It is not a Government policy or legal requirement and not all lenders use it. It is the responsibility of the building owner, whether freehold or commonholder, to ensure their building is safe.
The Government is encouraging lenders to accept a broader range of evidence to assure themselves of a building’s safety, and building owners to be forthcoming with what information they have. This evidence could include a fire risk assessment that includes external walls, or a recent building control certificate.
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he can take against lenders that continue to require the provision of an EWS1 form in cases where the building or property falls outside the scope of that requirement; and if will make a statement.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The EWS1 process is not a Government or regulatory requirement. Whether an EWS1 is needed is determined by lenders and the professionals valuing a building - not all lenders ask for an EWS1. The Department is pleased that industry has confirmed flats in blocks without cladding will be clearly excluded from the process. Government will continue to work with industry to support a more proportionate approach.
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will issue guidance to local authorities on making available Government-backed business rates relief to showground and funfair businesses; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
In response to COVID-19 the Government has provided a 100 per cent business rates holiday for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure properties in England, for 2020-21, worth over £10 billion.
My Department published guidance to help local authorities implement the scheme. The guidance states that eligible properties are those wholly or mainly used as shops, restaurants, cafes, drinking establishments, cinemas and live music venues; those used by visiting members of the public for assembly and leisure; or hotels, guest and boarding premises and self-catering accommodation. It is for local authorities to decide, having regard to the guidance, whether showground and funfair properties fall within these categories.
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he plans to consult on his Department's proposals to tackle the issues relating to (a) rent arrears accrued as a result of the covid-19 outbreak in the private rental sector and (b) the associated risk of homelessness as a result of those arrears; and if he will seek the views of (i) Generation Rent, (ii) the Association of Residential Letting Agents, (iii) the National Residential Landlords Association, (iv) Shelter, (v) Crisis and (vi) the Citizens' Advice Bureau; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
We regularly engage with a range of stakeholders on different issues relating to the private and social rented sector, as well as closely monitoring the issues of rent arrears and the risk of homelessness in the private rented sector as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak.
The Government has established an unprecedented package of support to protect renters throughout the Covid-19 pandemic with, support for businesses to pay staff salaries and strengthening the welfare safety-net with over 9 billion boost to the welfare system. This includes an extra £1 billion to increase Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates so that they cover the lowest 30 per cent of market rents.
For those renters who require additional support, there is an existing £180 million of Government funding for Discretionary Housing Payments made available this year, an increase of £40 million from last year, which is for councils to distribute to support renters with housing costs.
This Government remains committed to tackling homelessness and ending rough sleeping and is clear that no one should be without a roof over their heads. We have provided £5.7 billion to help councils to manage the impacts of COVID-19 which includes their work to support homeless people.
We are also providing a Flexible Homelessness Support Grant of £200 million to help local authorities plan and respond to their local homelessness pressures alongside delivering the Homelessness Reduction Grant of £63 million to implement the Homelessness Reduction Act, and to enable local authorities to do more to prevent and relieve homelessness in their areas.
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he plans to issue additional guidance to religious organisations on the opening of churches to conduct wedding ceremonies, and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
To protect public safety, weddings are among the social and religious events that can’t take place at this time. We understand the inconvenience and disappointment this will cause.
In Step 2 of our Roadmap to Recovery strategy we said that we would examine how to enable people to gather to facilitate small marriage ceremonies. Government continues to look at this issue in great detail to see what will be possible while minimising risk.
We understand the frustration couples waiting to marry must be feeling, and as with all COVID-19 restrictions, we will look to ease them as soon as it is safe to do so.
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what powers his Department has devolved to the Mayor of London to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
The Greater London Authority (GLA) Act sets out the Mayor of London’s powers in relation to housing and planning which can be found here: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2007/24/contents (section 6 and 7).
The Act determines that the Mayor must prepare and publish a London Housing Strategy, which outlines plans for tackling rough sleeping and homelessness in the capital. This can be found here: https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2018_lhs_london_housing_strategy.pdf
We are currently funding the GLA to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping in the capital in a number of ways including:
In addition to this, at Spring Statement 2018, the Chancellor announced that we will be providing London with an additional £1.67 billion from the Affordable Homes Programme to support the Mayor to build a further 26,000 affordable homes – two-thirds will be homes for rent.
This has increased our investment in London to over £4.8 billion for at least 116,000 affordable homes by March 2022.
The Government is committed to reducing homelessness and rough sleeping. No one should ever have to sleep rough and that is why this summer we published the cross-government Rough Sleeping Strategy. This sets out an ambitious £100 million package to help people who sleep rough now, but also puts in place the structures that will end rough sleeping once and for all. The Government has now committed over £1.2 billion to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping over the spending review period.
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Government plans to introduce any proposals in the revised National Planning Policy framework to make changes to the Waste Planning Policy; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Dominic Raab
As part of the consultation on the draft revised National Planning Policy Framework, the Government has asked at question 42 if any consequential changes should be made to the National Planning Policy for Waste, as a result of the proposed changes to the Framework. The consultation closes on 10 May 2018. We welcome views on this issue in response to the consultation.